There’s something about trying a new challenge that I love. It’s probably because it always feels like a fresh start, instead of waiting for January or September (back-to-school vibes) to hit the reset button. Of course, you could do this every month but a quarter-long challenge seems easier to get more done. That’s why I’m starting my first 12-week year challenge today!
WHAT IS THE 12-WEEK YEAR CHALLENGE?
The concept is actually from the book by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington. Setting yearly goals always seems like such a stretch yet monthly goals seem to be over and done with so quickly. Planning quarterly means you can set big-ish goals because you have 12 weeks to achieve them. However, it also means breaking everything down into an action plan.
First, you look at the big picture of where you want your life to be in twenty-five, ten, three, and one year. It’s quite a scary thing to think about but as a textbook Capricorn, big-picture thinking goes well with my ambitious nature. However, it can all seem very overwhelming thinking so far into the future. That’s why we break it down into quarters.
Realistically, what can you achieve in 12 weeks or 3 months? Quite a lot if you have a plan and stay focused most of the time. The idea with this challenge is that you’ll get more done with a real plan in place rather than just bobbing along daily. You pick 1-3 goals you want to achieve in 12 weeks before coming up with an action plan and strategy to get them done.
MY OVERALL 12-WEEK YEAR GOALS
The next part of starting my first 12-week year is to set my overall goals. Whilst I won’t share my exact goals because they’re personal to me, I can give you a rough idea. I decided on three main goals along with a general, personal one.
Business
My main goal here is to reach a certain income over three months. As I’ve said before, business has been fairly slow since the start of the year but equally, I haven’t been putting myself out there as much. My strategies are to post on social media and my blog weekly, get three new clients, and update my website.
Blogs
My main goal here is to just get consistent across my main two websites, this one and The Realistic Minimalist. I’m actually taking next week of client work (if I can) to spend the entire week writing blog posts. Hopefully, this can get me a bank of posts ready to go! My strategies are to stick to my content plans, set up my media kit (finally), and start the process of making a digital product.
Health + fitness
My main goal here is to lose a set amount of weight. I know it’s not a goal that everyone will agree about but I’m setting it for me and nobody else. Of course, the end goal is to be fit and healthy but for now, I just need to get into some sort of routine. My strategies are to meal plan/meal prep/food shop weekly, stick to my workout plan, and find new recipes to try. This goal is particularly big for healthy habits daily!
Personal
My main goal here is to just focus on myself and my well-being. It’s about time that I tried to get that elusive work-life balance and not be such a hermit. It’s about finding time for myself, doing things I enjoy, and getting myself organised. My strategies are to plan my 2023 travel, sort out my digital devices (inbox, external hard drive, etc), stick to my resets/routines, and be more social!
MY ACTION PLAN
In order to have this challenge be a success, I’ve set myself up with an action plan. That means I’ve broken down my overall goals into monthly, weekly, and daily actions. These are basically action steps of how I’m going to achieve my goals. I’m tracking them on both Notion and in my bullet journal because digital planning isn’t something I seem to have the grips with yet.
Starting my first 12-week year challenge is actually quite daunting but I’m going all in! I need to make a change in my life and that starts today (well, yesterday)! Maybe I’ll post an update when I’m done with month one or halfway through the challenge. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, I might even share updates on there!
